BBC Alba Outlander documentary: A fun blast from the past

Every now and then we love to find the blasts from the past. For this weekend, how about a BBC Alba Outlander documentary, complete with Gàidhlig.

It’s hard to imagine now that Diana Gabaldon had never set foot in Scotland when she first created Outlander. With all the research and the detail, it’s like she grew up in the location. Yet, she didn’t visit the country until after the publication of her first novel–the one that we’ve all grown to love and the one that started off this journey of Claire and Jamie’s love story.

Blasts from the past are fun and just recently Gabaldon gave us one. She shared the link to a BBC Alba Outlander documentary. For those who haven’t been to the UK or don’t know the channels, BBC Alba is the Scottish BBC channel, launched in 2008. Programming is spoken in Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), with English subtitles at the bottom.

Not only do you get the chance to delve back into the beginning of the series of books and show, but you do it all in the native language. With the subtitles you can follow everything easily, but it’s just another beautiful addition for the fandom. Gabaldon’s interview isn’t dubbed in Gaelic. You’ll get to just listen to her speaking about the creation of the novel and why she chose historical fiction.

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

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There is an interesting part in the interview about Claire and how she came about in the story. This isn’t a character creation we hear a lot about, so it will be interesting for many to find out when she was first created and the thoughts Diana had while writing her. I’ll admit that Diana’s way of creating characters and a story sounds like mine: you let the characters talk to you instead of forcing them into pigeonholes you expect.

Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room /

The BBC Alba Outlander documentary doesn’t just give you an interview with Diana Gabaldon. You’ll get a chance to see a clip of the inspiration for Jamie–that clip from a 1969 episode of Doctor Who, which is rarely seen now! There’s also a trip through Scotland and time, looking at the fact and fiction that developed into the story.

You can catch the full BBC Alba Outlander documentary here. It’s certainly worth a watch while you sit back and relax on your Sunday afternoon.

Next: 9 places every Outlander fan should visit

Do you love watching past Outlander documentaries? Did you know the tidbit about Claire’s creation? Share in the comments below.

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